New Year, New Problems 10: Cody the Kendo Kid
by Jlgjt
Summary: So big it's in two parts! Both of 'em are going up, and what's inside proves that even a kid like Cody can get emotional and worked into a fluster at times... :
1. Part 1

2004 – New Year, New Problems

Story #10: Cody the Kendo Kid (Part 1)

Author's Notes: This story covers Cody. Like the previous story on Davis, look for a few unexpected twists, as well the much-expected "trigger" for the social change. Enjoy!

Date: 1/3/2004

Time: 4:30 pm

Place: Hida household, Cody's room

Iori "Cody" Hida slumped, slouching on his bed. Up until this point, he had spent the last four days trying to run from the implications of the New Year's Eve battle with MaloMyotismon. He had been trying to busy himself with worry of what would happen to Oikawa's apartment and possessions, most importantly the technology that had been used to create the Digiworld havoc (and maybe the only way to undo some of the damage), but the facade of concern was falling apart due to the fact that he had no idea if they could legally claim Oikawa's possessions, and since his mom and grandpa knew about Upamon he couldn't use hiding him as an excuse to run from what his conscience was telling him...

Cody sighed. The fact of the matter was that the revelations were now causing him to suddenly not measure up to even his own standards, mostly because of the now-obvious Ken-Kari connection via Gatomon and the now-parallel redemptions. Cody now was mad at himself because things he had thought were separate but parallel were now linked together into one big web. His head spun trying to figure out all the connections, and that "web" was also pulling on his conscience, unsettling him.

Most of what was unsettling him was the fact that he wanted to hit himself in the head with the kendo stick for not seeing the parallelism (even without the Myotismon connection) earlier, particularly considering that his father had taken an assassin's bullet, something he knew well but didn't want to think about.

The parallels he should've seen before were now obvious:

1. His father had taken an assassin's bullet and **sacrificed himself to save another.**

2. Wizardmon had **sacrificed himself to save another** (Gatomon).

3. Wormmon had **sacrificed himself to save another** (the true Ken) from the mad Digimon Emperor he had been driven to become by the Dark Spore and Myotismon's machinations (not to mention the pressure from the public and his parents).

The starkness of the parallels was leaving Cody with the strange feeling that he had failed some kind of test (though what exactly it was he couldn't figure out), and the dread of thinking that he had committed a sin that could be greater in magnitude than even lying. He had seen the ghost of Wizardmon, heard Gatomon's redemption story afterwards, then refused to believe Ken could change after he reappeared following the fall of the Emperor. When it boiled down, the two situations weren't actually all that different, and (even if the Myotismon connection hadn't been revealed) by believing Gatomon was good but not that Ken could be good, he thought he had been a hypocrite (or something close to it), heightened by the fact that he **knew **how noble a life-sacrifice was because of his father's death.

He was also sure Gatomon knew that, or would soon, and then would seriously be on his case. He feared he would be turned into a scapegoat for accusations about said hypocrisy related to Ken, and because his doubt lasted the longest and caused the most trouble he would likely be singled out. Trying to pass the blame because the others (except Davis) had doubted as well probably wouldn't work, nor could he use the fact that he had tried to bring Oikawa into the Digiworld just before he "died" as a counter.

If the words started to fly, Cody knew he would be without support. Ken would either stay away or join in the word-flinging, and he had gotten the impression that his mom and grandpa might say "you should've known better" and also provide no help. Finally, Cody figured that if his dad was looking down on what he had done, he would be displeased at him, so there would be no use in trying the spirits for help.

Frankly, Cody was afraid he was in a no-win situation and his heart raced as he tried to think of a way out. Could he use the attributes given to him? "Knowledge?" He had it, but he didn't use it! "Reliability?" Joe said he was reliable, but he knew that by this hypocrisy (or close to it) he had failed this big time.

Cody panicked even more as flashes of Gatomon's and Ken's accusations flying at him entered his mind, as well as the semi-ridiculous thoughts of Gatomon shredding his clothes and generally manipulating him to do embarrassing things in front of the others. Up till now, he had thought what he had heard of Gatomon's mental powers was semi-apocryphal, but now he didn't want to see or feel for himself if they were true. Cody was sure his mind was spinning out of control, but he couldn't be sure what she would do, particularly with the emotions running high...

In all, the recent events made Cody feel like his spirit of confidence and guarded trust had been stripped down until there was no hiding it's flaws. He had thought being able to master kendo and guard himself from others was a way to be the man his father was, to honor him, but now he saw, too late, that he had closed himself off too much and actually had dishonored his dad by doing that, even if only Cody knew it. Before he became one of the Digidestined, Yolei was one of the few people outside of his family he trusted, and he trusted the others because he saw that it was better to trust them than not to. But when it came to Ken, he was understandably mad at him, and acceptance was anathema, even after the others had come around. That mindset was broken over Christmas at the party, but now that reconciliation smacked of "too little, too late."

Cody wasn't sure if he was just jumping to conclusions, but he thought that unless he headed it off, he was headed for some kind of serious public humiliation. But how could he head it off? Get down on his knees and beg for them not to hit too hard? He didn't think that would necessarily work.

Now Cody **really **wanted to hit himself with his kendo stick. "Oh, man! What do I do now?" he thought, hoping that his panicked state was just him overreacting...

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Suddenly Cody heard a voice in his head speak quietly and clearly to him. He listened, for he knew that it was the conscience that had been pounding him over the course of that day.

It said, "You have put yourself in this situation, so therefore you must be the one that gets yourself out of it, understand?"

Cody nodded to himself and then the voice continued, "Now, I don't know what they will do, if anything, but if the worst comes to worst, you **must **be ready to lay down anything and everything to prevent losing face. Because we can't know what the reactions will be, you must prepare for the worst in advance. However, if you don't prepare quickly enough or well enough, you run the risk of taking the hit anyway. Therefore, you **must** make a big sacrifice **now!** It must be big in order for it to be taken seriously, and it must be now as you cannot know when your next meeting with Gatomon or Ken is. Are you listening to my proposal?"

Cody nodded and said, "I'm listening."

"Good. Now here's what I want you to do. I want you to invite Kari and Ken over to learn kendo from your grandfather."

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Cody nearly fell of the bed when he heard what his conscience was wanting him to sacrifice. There was no way he was going to do that! "But I can't do that! I can't give up that time! It's too special!" Cody complained to his conscience.

"It is the only thing big enough that will get you a hearing if the worst-case scenario is true." his conscience bluntly stated.

Cody's forehead grew sweaty. "Isn't there something else I can give up?!?" he pleaded with his conscience.

"No, there is **nothing** else that is a big enough sacrifice. It's your choice: sacrifice it or run the gauntlet and hope they will be merciful."

Cody quickly saw that there was no other way out. He weighed the facts: he **really **didn't want to give that special time he had with his grandfather while they practiced kendo, but he didn't want to run the risk of having the black mark of hypocrisy being leveled on him, as it would be permanently damaging to his reputation. Cody's mind flashed back and forth between dreadful thoughts of having fingers pointed at him, sounds in his mind of charges being brought against him, and the pain he felt in giving up what he considered one of the most precious things he had.

Finally, Cody saw no use in resisting: sacrificing this precious time-slot he had with his grandpa, sop to the others it may be, was the only way he saw in getting out without running the risk of losing face. He crashed onto the bed, burying his head in the pillow. He was only a kid; why should he even be worrying about things like this? In the same breath, Cody cursed both Myotismon and his own close-mindedness, and then quickly pushed out a few tears into his pillow. He had always avoided crying, but now trapped in his own agony he couldn't help but shed tears. Alternately cursing Myotismon and vowing to become a more open person, he sobbed into his pillow for a minute or two. He eventually figured that he had pushed out all of the pain of giving up the special time, and rose to his feet.

Cody felt like his heart was broken and bleeding, but he knew what he had to do to avoid the greater damage the accusations of hypocrisy could do. Tears staining his face and eyes still watery, he opened his bedroom door and left the room...

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Cody sighed and wiped the tears from his eyes as he approached his mom, who was currently assembling various food items to prepare for dinner. She looked down at Cody as he approached.

"Something up, honey?" she asked.

"Umm... is it alright if I call some friends?" he quietly asked.

"What kind of friends?" his mom replied.

Cody sighed before replying that he wanted to call Kari and Ken. Mom nodded a consent, but told him that he had kendo practice and that he couldn't go anywhere with them. He nodded as he walked to the phone.

Before picking up the phone, he looked around to see where his grandpa was. Cody found him sitting on the couch, watching TV while sipping on a glass of prune juice. Cody turned back; it was too painful to tell what he was going to do now. He would do it at dinner...

Cody picked up the phone and autodialed number 4 on the phone, which was the number for the Kamiyas. He sighed sadly as he heard the phone ring; his heart was in his feet, but he knew it was the only way. Cody quickly wiped away a stray tear and sighed to compose himself as he heard someone, maybe Kari's mom, answer the phone.

"Hello, Kamiya residence."

"Could I speak with Kari please?" Cody asked into the phone.

"May I ask who is calling?"

"Tell her it's Cody."

"OK then."

A minute of silence, then some fumbling noises as apparently the handset on the other end was passed to someone. A surprised "Cody, is that you?" was then heard through the earpiece. To his relief, Cody recognized the voice as Kari's.

"Yeah, it's me." Cody said, his voice less heavy due to the relief of getting to Kari quickly.

"Well, why are you calling? I didn't expect you to be calling here." Kari replied, the surprise in her voice obvious.

"I know. I didn't want to be calling you either, but this is too important to ignore..."

"Something up?" Kari said. She was obviously concerned about Cody's tone of voice.

Cody sighed into the phone. There was a brief, awkward pause, and then Cody quietly asked, "Have you ever... considered taking kendo classes?"

(On the other end, Kari raised her eyebrows in surprise). "What do you mean?"

"Well, I haven't told my grandpa yet... but I want you to come take kendo with me, starting tonight."

The shock in Kari's voice was unmistakeable. "Cody, are you sure? I thought you liked those times alone with you grandfather. Why are you giving it up now?"

Cody sighed again. "I wish I could explain this over the phone, but I really can't. Will you come tonight?"

There was a pause over the phone, then Kari quietly said, in a bewildered tone of voice, "Uhh... well, I guess. I don't have anything going on tonight anyway. Is anyone else coming over?"

"Ken is." Cody sadly replied, squeezing his eyes shut to prevent a breakdown over the phone. "I'm going to invite him next."

"Ken?" Another moment of silence, and then Kari again, this time sounding like she had an idea what was going on:

"Uh, OK with me, I guess. I don't have any equipment or anything, but I'll come."

"Is Gatomon coming with you?"

"Did you think she wouldn't?"

"No, just checking."

"Oh, OK then. I'll see you tonight." Cody heard a click as Kari hung up the phone on her end.

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Cody sighed quietly and wiped away another tear as he pressed a button which got him a dial tone. He quickly found and grabbed a scrap of paper on which Ken had scribbled his phone number during the Christmas party. He slowly dialed the number written on the paper and waited impatiently as the phone rang. Someone answered it on the fourth ring. "Hello, Ichijouji residence." he heard someone, probably Ken's mom, speak on the other end. "If this is for Ken, please state the reason you are calling and whichever company you represent."

Cody was startled by this greeting and said, "Uhh, what do you mean by companies?"

"Over the past few days, Ken has been contacting several companies with which he had contracts with before he ran away. He has desired to reestablish himself with companies that are still willing to trust him with an endorsement. Weren't you told about that by your boss?"

"Boss? I'm sorry, but I'm not involved with companies. I'm Cody. Ken invited me over to the Christmas party with Davis and some other kids. I'm involved with Digimon too, if that helps."

There was silence for a moment, then came from the other end, "Cody? You mean little guy, likes to do kendo, father was Oikawa's best friend?"

Cody flushed a deep red at this description, but acknowledged it. "So, do you want to talk to Ken about something?" continued the voice at the other end.

"Yes. Could you put him on please?" Cody asked.

There was an acknowledgment, and then a minute of silence as Ken was put on. Cody then heard heard Ken's very surprised voice, "Well, I, uh... wasn't expecting you to call. Is there something you need to talk about?"

"Well, yes." Cody began. "You see, I haven't been very supportive of you in the past..."

"That's an understatement, but go on." Ken replied, temporarily unnerving Cody.

"Umm, yeah..." Cody said as he fumbled for a good starting point. He finally found it and continued on: "Well, ever since the battle ended, I've been going through a guilt trip about that. In that weird dimension, things started to link together in ways I don't think any of us could explain, and after MaloMyotismon fell, I got hit with a big pang of guilt about doubting your change. I went home on the edge of completely breaking down, and now I'm afraid that Gatomon will get on my case because of the cross-linking. This means I'm going to give something important up as a show of my sorrow at my mistake... Have you ever considered doing kendo?"

Ken took a moment to take in what Cody was saying, then said, "Well, not really. I have a stick and and an old hood in storage somewhere, but I decided I liked judo better so I did that instead. Why are you asking?"

Cody took a deep breath before answering. Trying not to break down, he said, "Well, I want you to come and practice kendo with me and my grandpa. Up until now, I've had it as a special time with him, but if it is the only thing I can give you that will show my sincerity, give it up I will."

Like Kari, Ken was surprised at Cody's decision. "Are you serious?" Ken asked.

"It's the only thing I can give that's special enough. I've already asked Kari to do the same thing, and she's coming over tonight. But if you don't want to come..."

Whatever confusion Ken may have had, he was impressed by Cody's honesty and decided to hear him out. He quickly interrupted with, "No, no, I'll come. Is it after dinner?"

"Yes." Cody replied, relief obvious in his voice. "Is Wormmon coming with you?"

Ken chuckled slightly. "Of course."

"Oh, good then. See you after dinner, and bring whatever equipment you have."

"Right. See you then."

Cody hung up the phone. That part was now finished, but telling his folks was going to be hard as well...

"Something wrong, Cody?" Upamon said as he bounced up to him. Upamon had been watching TV as well, but had noticed Cody go to his mom and make the phone calls; now he was curious as to what was going on.

Cody knelt down and quickly put a finger to lips, telling his Digimon partner to be quiet. "I'll explain in my room." Cody stated, beckoning Upamon to his room. The confused Digimon bounced to catch up with Cody as the latter quickly returned to his room. Both of them would stay in there until dinner time...

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Time: 5:30 pm

Place: Hida dining area

Cody stared down at his food, showing no interest in eating it whatsoever. The thought of having to tell what he had done was discouraging his appetite, and he only poked at his food.

His mom and grandpa looked at each other in concern, then mom asked, "Something wrong, honey?"

Cody sighed and said, "I'm just not very hungry..."

"Well, could you **try** to finish what you have?" she replied.

Cody nodded, then took his fork and put some rice in his mouth. However, he chewed slowly, and it was clear to both mom and grandpa that something else was causing his lack of appetite. He looked up guiltily at them and wished he hadn't put himself in this situation...

"Are you sure nothing's wrong, Cody?" his mom asked again.

Cody sighed again, but said nothing as he stuffed some chicken into his mouth.

"Is something bugging you, Cody?" Cody's grandpa asked after a few moments of silence.

Cody nodded but still said nothing.

"Well then, what's wrong?" Mom asked.

Cody sighed again and then turned his gaze to where his dad's picture was hanging, over the family shrine which was set up after he died. Mom and Grandpa followed Cody's gaze, then nodded to themselves. "Ah, I see! Is it something related to Oikawa, to those Digimon you've told us about?" Grandpa asked.

Cody sadly nodded.

"Oh, then what exactly is it that's troubling you?" his mom gently asked.

Cody slumped in his chair, elbows on the table, head in hands. He knew he must be breaking a half-dozen rules, but he didn't care at the moment, and he also thought that concern would temporarily outweigh good manners. Cody looked with an ashamed face, and said hesitatingly, "I... I can't do kendo with you alone anymore Grandpa. I've... I've invited Kari and Ken over to learn from you, and there going to be here after dinner. That's what the phone calls were about."

Mom and Grandpa exchanged shocked looks as Cody sighed and looked at Upamon out of the corner of his eyes. Seeing his Digimon partner's confused look, he winced and began to slide down in his chair until he reluctantly stopped the slide and sat back up in the chair.

Cody looked on with pleading eyes as an astonished Grandpa said, "But I don't understand. I thought you liked that we were the only ones that practiced together."

Cody explained with a pained look that it wasn't that he disliked being his grandpa's only real student, but that he had no choice if he was to avoid the possibility of something horrible happening to his reputation. "What is it that's such a problem that you have to do this?" Mom asked in a very worried tone of voice.

Cody sighed, trying to fight back tears, "It's about Ken. I've seen things that make him and his story a lot like someone else's, a someone who I was willing to trust even though I wouldn't with Ken, and I'm afraid..."

"...that you're going to be called a hypocrite for it?" Grandpa guessed.

"Yeah. I mean, she knows that everyone else except Davis doubted him too, but I went on with a doubt when it was obvious I shouldn't have, particularly with what happened with Dad... and I felt I've failed some important test, though I'm not sure why exactly..."

Grandpa nodded and said, "Well, we've already had the discussion about Ken already, so I won't repeat myself, but with people there are times you need to be the rock in the stream, and there are times you need to be the water that flows around the rock. You understand?"

Cody nodded, sighing deeply to prevent a breakdown. "Now with what I know and Ken knows, I'm afraid just saying 'I'm sorry' won't be enough to get anyone to believe that I am sorry as I say I am. That's why I decided to do this; it's the only way they'll believe me when I say I'm sorry. I hope you both understand why I did this."

A minute of silence passed as Mom and Grandpa ruminated over their response. Cody swallowed down a few tasteless bites of chicken as he waited uneasily, alternating his pleading gaze between Mom, Grandpa and a worried Upamon.

Finally Mom made some kind of nodding motion, then Grandpa spoke. "We will accept what you have done, but we do not accept it lightly." he sternly stated. "You have told us how important both Oikawa and Ken were in the events, and we understand why you are afraid that you seemed to have failed in this important test of your character. However, we do not think they would be as harsh as you think they would be. But because none of us know what the reaction would be, we will accept the sacrifice you are making. But let's make one thing clear; this is for tonight **only**! However, if they are willing to continue taking lessons, then that is something that will have to be discussed between me and them. Do you understand Cody?"

Cody nodded grimly, swallowing a heavy lump in his throat. His eyes should both guilt and sorrow, and he looked like he could burst into tears at any minute. He thought he had rock-solid composure, but the last week had been like a battering ram, pounding at the "shell" until now it was ready to give way. What had taken years to build up was now being undone in a matter of hours, and the only way he hoped to survive without complete destruction of his credibility (at least, that's what he thought) was to throw himself completely at the mercy of those he had wronged. This is what he had to do tonight...

"Do you know when they're coming?" Mom asked.

"Well, Kari knows when I would be doing it, and someone probably told Ken, so I think they have an idea of when they'll come..."

"But you didn't tell them directly?"

"No, I kinda guessed they would know..."

"Could you call them again, just to make sure?"

Cody sighed in reluctance but agreed to do so, after clearing his plate of course. Cody picked up his fork and slowly began eating again, a desire of wanting it to be over slowly building inside...

**End of Part 1**


	2. Part 2

2004 – New Year, New Problems

Story #10: Cody the Kendo Kid (Part 2)

Time: 7:30 pm

Place: Hida residence, front entry

Cody paced impatiently. He wanted this thing over with and, despite Upamon's well-meant advice to "chill out", knew he had a lot he wanted to get off his chest. He had hoped for the best, but wanted to prepare for the worst and do whatever was necessarily to get mercy. Checking his watch, he wondered if either of them got stuck in traffic or got diverted for some reason (the convenience store with its treats, perhaps?). Standing ready was Cody's kendo helmet and stick, his grandpa's gear as well as an old helmet that Kari could use. Sticks and Ken's gear would be another thing, but Cody couldn't worry about it now. He just wanted the tension out of his system, and quickly!

Cody jumped when he heard the doorbell ring. He rushed over the door, brushing past his mother, and flung the door open in anticipation. Seeing Ken, he flushed slightly, cleared his throat and welcomed him in. Cody introduced Ken to his mom and grandpa, who Ken then shook hands with.

"Can I have your autograph, Ken, while you're here?" Cody's mom asked after the introduction.

Cody rolled his eyes; this was ridiculous! "Mom, he's not **that **famous anymore!" he said in response.

"Oh, it's no problem really, Cody." Ken said, waving off Cody's statement. "What do you want signed, Mrs. Hida?"

"I'll get it." she replied as she rushed off.

While Mom was gone, Grandpa added in a word of his own. "Well, I must say, it is definitely unusual to be teaching someone as well known and as athletically skilled as you are. I am honored to be your teacher." he said, bowing slightly to him at the end.

Cody cringed, as he really wished they wouldn't flatter Ken like that, but seeing Ken's pleasantly surprised reaction made Cody realize that Ken probably hadn't heard himself being treated as special for months now. This made Cody reluctantly keep his mouth shut, despite his indignation at his mom's behavior.

Mom quickly returned with a newspaper clipping showing his win at a prestigious judo championship. Cody noticed Ken blushing slightly as he signed the slip of paper over the picture ("probably because every championship he won inflated his ego and made him more vulnerable to the dark voices." Cody guessed with a smirk), but also noticed Mom's giddy reaction as the paper clipping was returned to her. To Cody, this was ridiculous and time-wasting, and his tapping foot and rolling eyes clearly showed it.

Mom returned the clipping to where it had been stored as Grandpa asked Ken if he had any gear he could use. This reminded Ken of the duffel he had brought with him, which was now placed by the door. Ken unzipped the top zipper of the duffel and said, "Well, the stuff I had was too small for me, but I did bring something else in the duffel. I had to carry my Digimon partner in here because I don't want him being seen. But since we're here now, it's safe for him to come out." Just seconds after Ken finished speaking, Wormmon peeked his head out of the duffel, then crawled out, much to the fascination of Cody's grandpa.

Wormmon introduced himself as Ken's Digimon partner, then was picked up by Ken as Grandpa commented ("Well, he's certainly very interesting, I must say!" Grandpa chuckled out with a grin) and Mom, now having returned to the front door area, gushed at what a cute caterpillar Ken seemed to have ("Mom, please! You're not helping!" Cody stated as a response). Ken took it all with a smirk, but Cody now knew Ken wouldn't have it any other way, considering what had happened...

Grandpa quickly lead Ken back into the room where they had practice, Wormmon scooting behind Ken. Cody was just turning back toward the door when he heard another knock on it. Mom opened the door to reveal Kari, wearing her backpack. She shook hands with Cody's mom and grandpa, then carefully took the backpack (which to Cody looked overstuffed) off her back and opened it to reveal Gatomon, stuffed uncomfortably inside. "It was the only way to get her here without having her seen in public." Kari explained with an smirk on her face as Gatomon slowly squirmed her way out of the backpack.

"We are not doing that again!" the feline Digimon complained as she finally got out. "I've got cramps and a crick in my neck!"

Kari smiled weakly as Gatomon stretched in various directions trying to get the cramps out. Under most other circumstances, the others would be laughing themselves silly, but it was completely inappropriate to laugh here and now.

"Your kitty is very pretty, Kari!" Mom complemented.

"Thanks. I've always thought she was pretty." Kari said as she attempted to make Gatomon feel better by gently petting her, but only with a mixed result.

Kari then asked where Ken was, and Cody told her he was back with Grandpa. Kari went back there, quickly followed by Gatomon, Cody and Cody's mom.

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When Cody arrived, he found that Grandpa had already introduced himself to Kari and was apparently interested in Gatomon. "So you must be the cat that they keep talking about?" Cody heard his grandpa say.

"I guess so." Gatomon replied with a shrug.

"Oh, well, no matter, you are still a pretty little Digimon." Gatomon blushed at the complement but said nothing in response.

"Right, let's get down to business then." Grandpa stated. "What gear do you have?"

"Well, I thought I had something, but the hood was too small for me and I can't find where the stick went." Ken stated.

"I found a stick that belonged to my dad once in a closet and he let me have it, but I don't have a hood." Kari said, holding up the old kendo stick.

Grandpa paused to think about what to do. For about 20 seconds, there was silence in the room, and in waiting Cody noticed Gatomon go off by herself in a corner, then beckoned Wormmon to follow. The latter looked confused, but followed her after a second beckon. Upamon, who had just come in the room, naturally bounced over there as well out of curiosity.

Finally Grandpa thought up a plan that could work. He would give both Kari and Ken brief pointers on the stick moves, then would battle each of them individually as training, with each of them using the alternate hood and stick. After that, they would battle each other, one with Grandpa's equipment and one with the alternate set. Finally, Kari and Ken (using the alternate set) would each battle Cody individually, then it would be a standard session of Cody vs. his grandpa. Everyone agreed to the plan, and Ken grabbed Cody's stick as he and Kari lined up for the stick lesson.

"Oh, wait! There is one more thing I need to do before we start!" Grandpa said, reaching down into a brightly-colored cardboard box in a corner of the room. He took two items out of the box and tossed one each to Kari and Ken. They caught the items, which turned out to be something that looked like a juice pouch, and examined them in their hands.

"What are these?" Kari asked.

"Prune juice, my friends! In neat pouches too!" Grandpa happily stated as he grabbed a juice pouch for himself and opened it. "Go on, drink it! It's a welcoming present!"

Ken and Kari looked at each other, then at Cody. Cody sighed and shrugged his shoulders, then waved them on. They were confused for a second, then realized they were supposed to just be polite and take a sip of it. They opened the respective pouches and took a sip, trying not to screw their faces in disgust at the taste.

"Hohoho! Good, no?" Grandpa said.

Both Kari and Ken nodded politely as they tried to get the aftertaste out of their mouths without it being obvious. After a moment, they looked at each other and quietly giggled. Cody noted this and wondered somewhat sardonically if this was the beginning of that relationship which everyone expected to developed, that it had started here...

Cody looked back in the corner where the Digimon had gathered to distract himself from the irony of the situation. To him, Gatomon seemed to be talking very seriously, perhaps even in a heart-to-heart manner, with Wormmon while Upamon sat nearby and listened with a lot of curiosity. It also seemed that the conversation didn't want to be heard publicly, judging from the whispering going on.

Curious himself, Cody quietly went over, crouched down and tried to listen it, but was summarily noticed by Gatomon, who shooed him away with a mean glare. Cody backed away, but not before he picked up Upamon and asked the Digimon what he had heard.

"Well, I didn't hear much, but I did think Gatomon was talking about Wizardmon once." Upamon said.

Cody wondered what that meant, realizing that Wizardmon, if he was looking down on the situation (which made sense, considering that he had somehow found out about Myotismon possessing Oikawa and then could only give a veiled warning to the new Digidestined on that anniversary), would not have approved of the doubt either. That worried him even more, and trying to calm himself he sat down on the floor and started alternating his attention between the practice and what Gatomon and Wormmon were talking about in the corner. He wondered how long it was going to take before things would start to break down...

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He watched through the stick session, then heard Grandpa dismiss Ken, as the first practice would be with Kari. Ken moved to sit by Cody (which made the latter even more nervous) but then noticed Wormmon, still talking with Gatomon in the corner. Both of the Digimon immediately noticed Ken's attention drawn to them, and when Ken flashed a confused look Wormmon beckoned him over. Ken bent down and engaged in a brief conversation with the Digimon. Cody couldn't quite hear, but when it was done Ken picked Wormmon up, smiled at Gatomon (who replied the same way), then went over and sat down by Cody and Upamon (who Cody was holding).

Immediately, Cody made a show of looking around the room, to Upamon on his lap, to Grandpa dueling with Kari, to the ceiling, anywhere but Ken. To Cody, this was both awkward and embarrassing, and he wanted to avoid eye contact with Ken if at all possible. Cody couldn't keep this farce up for long though, and eventually gave up trying. He sighed, then looked down at his shoes with a feeling of guilt...

He guessed Ken (or Wormmon) noticed this, for shortly afterward Ken asked Cody what was wrong. Cody looked up and only made indirect eye contact, looking (and feeling) too guilty to do anything more.

Ken immediately got down to the root of the problem: "Are you feeling guilty about what happened?" he asked Cody. Cody immediately winced and screwed his eyes shut, trying with all his might not to cry in front of everyone else.

"Hey, hey, please don't do that." Ken gently said. "I know you regret doubting me, especially since what happened during that last battle, but please don't get all upset about this. We've... all been through a lot, me particularly, and I know this must have been rough on you too, but please don't cry about it."

"It's not really you I'm worried about, it's her." Cody clipped out.

"'Her' who? You mean Kari?"

"No, no, the Digimon!"

"You mean Gatomon?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Ken asked.

The look Cody responded with gave Ken an impression of dread, even fear, of the feline Digimon. "I don't know... what she thinks of me right now, and I heard the stories of Gatomon at full power bashing around Digimon like Greymon from Tai, but until now I didn't really believe it. Now... her emotions are running high, and I'm afraid of what will happen to me if she comes after me."

"Why would she come after you?" Ken asked, looking alarmed in the process.

"Because I believed her and I didn't believe you, even though you and her were really both sharing the same experiences! And because my doubt lasted longer than the others did, she might single me out for accusations."

"Accusations? Hold on a minute, why would you think she would accuse you?"

"I just told you why! I believed her but not you, and it strikes a nerve with her. If she came after me, I... I don't know what she could do to me if she could do things like what Tai told about!"

"And so that's why you invited both her and me over, did this whole thing up, that you could hurt yourself so that she wouldn't hurt you?"

Cody looked up, eyes very watery. He hadn't thought of it in exactly that way, but basically it was right. Cody nodded, then looked down again. Ken could see him shuddering, trying to stifle sobs.

Ken looked down at his Digimon partner with worry as Upamon tried to comfort Cody. "Do you think I should tell him?" Ken asked his Digimon.

"Not yet. Let's let him recover for a few minutes." Wormmon said. Ken agreed, but kept looking at a Cody so trying to avoid a breakdown with much worry. He was afraid things would only get worse once Kari finished her solo run...

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Sure enough, Cody's grandpa called a halt and Ken went up as a sweaty but joyous Kari collapsed next to Cody and Upamon. Wormmon moved away to observe Ken better while Gatomon walked over and leapt into Kari's lap.

An already-uptight Cody became even more so, flashing slidelong glances while trying not to make faces. Hoping Gatomon didn't have some kind of mental radar, Cody tried every trick in the book to keep a straight face: eyes darting around to random objects, pretending to stare off in space while crossing and uncrossing his legs repeatedly, twiddling his fingers, pretending to carefully study the training battle between Ken and his grandfather, staring in fascination at a corner of the room, trying to wipe a spot off the floor with his foot, "drawing" things with his finger, anything to prevent eye contact.

After a few minutes of watching Ken and Grandpa fight, Kari commented on how it was such a good idea that Cody invited them over to do this. "Huh, what do you say?" Cody replied, pretending to not have heard.

For the first time, Kari turned and noticed Cody's behavior. "Something wrong?" she asked. Cody immediately froze and sweat broke out on his forehead. He felt like the next conversation was going to be the dreaded attack point...

Kari repeated her question: "Cody, is something wrong?"

Cody face turned a deep shade of red, and Cody immediately met Kari's confused stare. For an intense moment, neither of them said anything, and Gatomon looked at nearby Upamon, who was just as concerned about Cody as she was.

"Cody, what's wrong?" Kari said. "You haven't been yourself lately. Why are you going through all the trouble of doing this, good as it is?"

Cody tried to reply, but the words stuck in his throat. All he could think about was Gatomon going postal on his clothing, and he tried to avoid the Digimon's gaze...

"Cody, please tell us what's wrong. Why are you doing this?" Kari asked. Internally, Cody felt as if he would go any second now...

Finally, Gatomon broke the resultant awkward silence between Kari and Cody by taking a guess at the root problem: "Cody, I don't know why you're thinking like this, but the situation isn't what you think it is."

For Cody, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. He now thought that Gatomon **could** probe minds, and conflict seemed unavoidable now. Cody's facade finally broke.

"**GO AWAY**!" Cody yelled as he ran out of the room crying. Instantly everyone in the room, even the practicing Ken and Grandpa, turned to face the doorway which Cody had run through.

"Cody, come back!" Kari loudly stated in a concerned voice.

"Cody, wait for me!" Upamon said as he bounced out of the room after Cody.

Kari looked at the shocked Ken, and at Cody's grandfather too. Motioning both of them to stay where they were, she and Gatomon ran off after Cody. Ken and Cody's grandfather looked at each other in shock and puzzlement: what could have set Cody off like that...?

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"Cody, where are you? Please come back!" Kari half-yelled as she checked each part of the apartment. Cody's mom had heard the outburst as well, and she had suggested trying Cody's bedroom. Kari flung open one door, then another, looking for Cody's bedroom. Finally Kari noticed a door open briefly and Upamon entered. Immediately suspicious, Kari went over and quietly opened the door to Cody's bedroom.

The room was dark, and all Kari could figure out was in the room was someone mumbling over and over "I can't do this anymore, I can't do this anymore, I can't do this anymore...". Kari turned on a light to see Cody, curled up on his bed and sobbing, with Upamon looking from nearby, helpless to assist.

"Cody?" Kari asked quietly.

"Go away!" Cody half-yelled. "Leave me and my reputation alone!"

"Reputation? What are you talking about?"

"Don't pretend. I know she knows!"

"Who knows?"

"Your Digimon. Get her away from me before she does something horrible!"

"Cody, slow down! What are you even talking about?!?"

Cody turned and pointed a trembling finger at Gatomon. "I know... she knows... all about my hypocrisy around Ken, and how I should've known better. She read my mind, and now she's going to hurt me! Get her away, now!"

Kari quickly looked down at a just-as-confused Gatomon, then exclaimed in a perplexed tone, "Cody, you're letting your emotions run away with you! Gatomon won't hurt you, I promise!"

"That's what you think!" was Cody's acid reply. At this time, he noticed the crowd gathering behind Kari (Ken, Mom, Grandpa, Wormmon) and broke down in tears again. Kari noticed this too, and wondered just what was causing Cody to go spasmodic like this...

"I can't do this anymore! I swear I can't!" Cody exclaimed through the tears. "I can never be tough enough to make my father proud, and I've earned disapproval from everyone! Go away and leave me alone!"

Kari began to wonder if the recent battle had completely broken Cody and his "tough kid" spirit, and that this was the release of built-up shame and guilt within him. "Cody, no one is going to punish you for what you have already done wrong! No one will hurt you! Just please stop this, for your sake as well as everyone else's!"

"Not until Gatomon goes away!" Cody defiantly replied.

"Why?" Kari asked.

"I've already told you! Now go away!"

"Cody, I don't think you're thinking straight. She may be back at full Champion strength, but she's not the wildcat she was before."

"Don't care!"

The crowd gathered at the bedroom door was whispering between themselves, with plenty of "what has happened to him?" and "what has caused him to do this?" and even once "Has the battle snapped something in him?". Kari knew the sum total of the whispered phrases was wondering if Cody had cracked, and considering how close everything was to his heart Kari didn't dismiss the possibility. It broke her heart to see Cody cowering on the bed, afraid of a threat that she was sure didn't exist. Did the battle do more damage to his self-confidence than she had thought...?

Kari realized that what Cody needed was a demonstration of what grace was. Apparently he didn't remember trying to save Oikawa's life, or figured that it wasn't relevant to what was going on. Kari wasn't sure she could use that as an example, so she figured she needed to come up with something else. She beckoned Ken over, and for a minute talked between them. The proposal they come up with was passed down to the Digimon, who agreed to it. They quickly filled in the watching adults on what they were going to do.

Kari started with "Cody, we like you when you're strong. Please don't go all emo on us!"

To the relief of everyone else, Cody stopped sobbing, sat up on the bed, and wiped away the tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I can **never** be that way again, not after that battle. I've hurt too many people, and I am afraid of getting hurt in return. The boomerang is coming back faster than I sent it out, and now I don't want to get hurt by it, so if you would just please..."

Ken guessed where Cody was going, and cut him off with: "Why do you want us to leave? Do you think that you are going to get punishment from us?"

Cody didn't want to admit it, but his wince told it anyway: "It's what I deserve for my doubt, but I am sorry, I really am! Please don't hit or yell at me!"

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Kari and Ken looked at each other. It was obvious now that Cody thought he was going to get punished now for the sins of the past and that he wanted to avoid this at all costs (hence the fact that only they were invited and all the emotion). He definitely needed a lesson in what grace was, and relatively quickly too.

Kari thought for a moment, then said, "Look, I know you made some pretty big mistakes, but everyone makes mistakes. That's why we have grace to give to others."

Cody looked up in surprise. "Grace? But... I don't even know if I deserve it."

"No one **deserves** grace, Cody." Gatomon firmly stated. "It's a gift, and believe me I know what I'm talking about."

"I know you know, but..." Cody replied. "I've been so hard on people that it's finally caught up with me. I bet you guys don't have an ounce of grace or mercy left for me..." At that very moment, though, Gatomon was already beginning to prove him wrong. She slowly walked towards Cody on all fours; though not completely unexpected, even Kari was surprised that she was doing this.

Cody turned and watched with an unease that could be described as fear. He backed himself up as Gatomon leapt onto the bed and slowly approached him. Up to the wall, Cody scrunched himself up and covered his eyes to avoid an attack there... then dropped the pose when nothing came. Very confused, he looked down the bed... and straight towards Gatomon. He jumped a bit in seeing her, and expected her to start hitting on him now...

However, what happened was that she actually started rubbing against his leg and purring like a regular cat. Not just Cody, but everyone was surprised at this sudden display of affection where it had been thought there wasn't any. For a moment, all was fixed on Cody, who was staring down at Gatomon with incomprehension.

After a few moments, she stopped, turned and quietly said, "Grace is not deserved, but given." Next thing everyone knew, she was actually offering Cody a hug! An overwhelmed Cody took it, crying into her shoulders as the paws he thought would hurt him actually comforted him. He hugged tighter, simply overwhelmed at the "gift" he had just received. He could also see both Kari and Ken grinning, and beyond his family, all with moved looks on their faces.

Gatomon released the hug, then gently traced a heart on Cody's chest using a claw. Kari came over and picked Gatomon up, but was immediately given a bear hug by Cody. As he squeezed a few tears out, Kari gently stroked and patted him. Cody then immediately moved on to Ken, who was taken somewhat by surprise but did the same as Kari did.

After Cody released, he went over to his grandpa and mom. Looking down on the floor for causing such a fuss, Grandpa just shook his head and said, "I have always told you that you need more balance to your life, to open yourself up more. I think today you have been given an opportunity to find that balance."

Cody looked up and smiled a weak smile at his grandpa. He turned back to look at Kari and Ken, smiling and looking at each other like a plan they had come up with had worked, and knew he would be alright. They knew grace, maybe they could teach him about how to be more open with people...

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Everyone quickly returned to the practice room, where Ken resumed his interrupted session. After settling down in a spot, Cody looked around at his fellow Digidestined, relieved for the first time in days. Of course they wouldn't desert him, and they had grace enough to show him how to find the right balance of guardedness and openness. He still wanted to be like his father, just in a different way. Looking at Gatomon and Wormmon, and even Ken, showed that.

Maybe he wouldn't be a policeman, though. Maybe... he would go into a legal career, become a lawyer even... He had a lot of time to think about it, and Upamon, along with the other Digidestined, would be here to help him.

He was more than just forgiven, though; it seemed to him like nothing had ever gone wrong. "Maybe that's what grace is..." Cody thought. He would have to think it over more thoroughly when it wasn't so busy and emotional.

Cody knew he would come out of this fine. He would never be the seemingly impersonal, hard-shelled kendo kid again, but he could still be Cody: reliable, logical, determined. Just more open, that's all. And all thanks to grace given, not deserved, by a Digimon who knew full well what grace is and means...

**The End **


End file.
